The Pea Coat
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September 21, 2015 4:10 pm
Burberry SS16 show report London Fashion Week
Jo Ellison
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Christopher Bailey is man for all seasons — see it in black and white
Designs from Burberry ss16©Catwalking.com
“The seasons are over,” announced designer Christopher Bailey backstage after an epic SS16 show featuring Alison Moyet on vocals, a 32-piece orchestra tastefully sheathed in Burberry (black lace for the ladies and black suits for the gents) and a front row that included Benedict Cumberbatch, Sienna Miller and Kate Moss. Oh, and some clothes.
Quite good clothes, in fact. This was a strong collection, big on gold military detail — crested insignias, braiding, gold-trimmed button holes and embroidery — that had been developed with Hand & Lock, the British manufacturer that makes accessories for the Queen’s Horse Guard. Having staged an extravaganza in Los Angeles in April, it was a subtle acknowledgment of Bailey’s continuing relationship with heritage materials and British manufacturing.
The designer’s emphasis on the more trans-seasonal pieces meant a lot of black, and a lot of heavier outerwear: duffles, pea coats and capes. These were paired with lighter, silkier, lacier layers; white cream silk slips and structured gowns in golden macrame. The word here, again, was “ease”: at this point I yearn for a designer to describe their silhouette as rigid and unforgiving.
Arguably the lack of seasonal distinction is largely Bailey’s own doing. He launched a click-to-buy initiative in 2013, whereby clothes could be bought directly from the shows and delivered within weeks. The label’s digital drive (it shared a preview of the entire collection with 100m Snapchat users on Sunday) and its focus on ecommerce has forced the pace of production ever faster.